UNICEF ​​and Suomalainen Kirjakauppa promote children’s literacy through a Moomin campaign

UNICEF, Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, and Moomin Characters have launched a joint campaign to promote literacy. Of every Otava Moomin product sold in Suomalainen Kirjakauppa in Finland, 1 euro is donated to promote children's literacy around the world. The campaign is in close connection to UNICEF's work in promoting children's learning.

UNICEF, Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, and Moomin Characters have launched a new campaign in Finland connected to the Reading, Writing and the Moomins initiative. The initiative aims to spread the joy of reading and writing in the life of children, youth and adults around the world.

UNICEF is the world’s leading children’s organization and operates in 196 countries. UNICEF works to improve children’s learning outcomes and provide them with the skills and competencies they need for their future working lives. The aim is to improve the quality and accessibility of education so that even the most vulnerable children have access to education. This year, UNICEF aims to improve learning outcomes and give 50 million children the possibility of getting an education. 

Of all the Otava Moomin products sold in Suomalainen Kirjakauppa in November, € 1 is donated to promote children’s literacy worldwide.

 

 

All children should have the right to books and reading. For example in Finland, where the campaign was launched, children learn to read at the latest in school, but this is not the case everywhere in the world.

Today, more and more children go to school, but despite this, millions of children are never given the opportunity of learning how to read or write. As many as 617 million children and young people around the world do not have even the basic skills in reading, although a third of them go to school. The corona crisis has also had devastating consequences for children and their education. Last year alone, 168 million children did not receive distance education.

 

 

The love of reading ignites from a young age, the same goes for the development of empathic qualities – two things that are often lacking in an increasingly polarized world.

“Together with Moomin Characters and Suomalainen kirjakauppa, we are campaigning to promote literacy among young people. To solve the learning crisis, different actors need to be involved to convey the message and challenge others. Equal education promotes well-being for all of us, says Marja-Riitta Ketola, Secretary-General of UNICEF Finland.

Literacy opens doors to countless worlds. At Suomalainen Kirjakauppa, we are happy to be able to work together for this important thing that affects the lives of children, ”says Marianne Kankaanpää, Marketing Manager at Suomalainen Kirjakauppa.

“The ability to express fears, dreams, the future and the past are central to humanity”

“Reading, Writing and the Moomins” is a multiannual, international initiative with the aim to spread the joy of reading and writing around the world with the help of Moomin stories. 

“We at Moomin Characters believe that language and storytelling are what make us humans special. It is language that distinguishes us from other species. The ability to express fears, dreams, the future and the past are central to humanity, and without a nuanced language we lose the connection to our feelings. The aim of this initiative is to spark a joy of reading and writing in people of all ages”, Tove Jansson’s niece and Creative Director of Moomin Characters Ltd, Sophia Jansson, comments.

 

For every Otava Moomin product sold in the Finnish bookstore in November, 1 euro will be donated to UNICEF’s work to promote children’s literacy. The campaign runs from November 1 to November 30, 2021.